ilead exploration homeschool

It has been so long since we wrote, but we are taking the time to write because it’s National Letter Writing Day on December 7!

With the advent of smartphones and the internet, letter writing has been on the decline! For hundreds of years, it was the only way people who were separated by distance could contact one another. This week is a great time to get back to the basics and handwrite a letter. Sitting for half an hour to handwrite something to someone special is life-giving. We miss it. Don’t you? Write back soon.

Summer is the perfect time to strengthen your reading skills. Experts agree that reading is an important skill that affects academic success. Below are some summer reading programs that you may want to check out:

One of the final field trips for this school year was to Discovery Cube’s Ocean Quest. iLEAD Exploration learners enjoyed a tour of Discovery Cube’s Ocean Quest, along with a boat ride through the Newport Beach marina where they saw seals! They learned about local beaches, oceans and they were able to complete many hands-on projects. It was a fun day!

Camp Kindle provides a five-day summer camp for children ages 5-12 with various special needs and medical complications. They are in search of volunteers for their upcoming session, and YOU may be just what they need, as people of all ages can contribute!

Activities for campers are built around art, science, music, math, and much more! The week concludes with a picnic and project showcase for campers and their families!

This year’s camp session will be held June 17-21, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. every day. For more information, visit Project Kindle’s website HERE or contact Glorimar “Minnow” at glorimar@projectkindle.org or (626) 736-8294.

Edgenuity, one of our online vendors, now offers seven different social and emotional learning classes. They are designed for 6th-12th graders for $49. Their courses include: character and leadership development, college and career readiness, intro to today’s technology, mental health and wellness, personal development, social and emotional success, and unlock your purpose. If you have a learner who would benefit from these topics, keep them in mind for next fall.

-Local community colleges also offer classes to high schoolers for FREE. Since summer courses are accelerated, this might be a good time to try dual enrollment through an elective course. At the end of the summer, those credits can be added to a learner’s transcript to count toward graduation credits. Let your EF know if you are interested in finding out how to proceed.

-Institutions such as Global Student Network offer a variety of online courses such as A+ Courseware, Accelerate Education, Odysseyware, Apex Learning, and Edmentum. While parents are responsible to pay for online summer courses through these vendors, if the institution provides a transcript at the end of the class, those credits may be added to a learner’s iLEAD transcript at the conclusion of the course. For questions about credits, please email highschool@ileadexploration.org.

Did you know that you can find a list of trade schools based on your interests in Naviance? There are tons of trade schools listed in Naviance with interesting facts about them, and there are a few ways to find them:

1) If you want Naviance to create a list of trade schools based on different criteria that interest you, then you can do that. Just click on Colleges>Colleges Home>SuperMatch. Then, choose what interests you from the list of criteria. Under “Institution Characteristics”, make sure to click on “2-Year or Less (Community Colleges and Vocational/Technical Schools).” All kinds of great trade schools come up. Some examples that pop up are the Gnomon School of Visual Effects in Hollywood, High-Tech Institute, Gemological Institute of America in Carlsbad, North Adrian’s College of Beauty, Inc., Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Pasadena, and lots more. Click on the options and you will find interesting information and a link to each school’s website.

2) If you know the name of a trade school that you are interested in, you can find it by looking for it directly. For example, if you want to find out information about the Los Angeles Trade Technical College, click on Colleges (at the top of the page)>Research Colleges>I’m thinking about>College Lookup>College Name (A-Z)>click on the letter L>scroll down to the Los Angeles Trade Technical College, and click on it. You will be able to preview the college’s information including studies, student life, admissions, cost, and a link to the school’s website.

Vibe Performing Arts Studios located in Santa Clarita offers instruction in singing, dancing, acting, instruments, and magic! Instructors create a warm, supportive environment for their students as they grow to discover their full potential through creative expression. CLICK HERE to visit the website.